Gophers inaugurate stadium with a win

March 08, 2017

There’s truly no place like home, and when it comes to the Golden Gopher baseball team, that means the new Siebert Field on the north end of campus. But in terms of a home away from home—right near home, even—you could do worse than the “cozy” confines of U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Gophers picked up the first Division I baseball victory at the new stadium with a 13-4 decision over Seattle University on Feb. 24. The game was the first in a 13-game homestand for Minnesota in its new cold-weather home off campus. After the stadium stretch concludes on March 12, the Gophers play 12 straight games on the road—including Big Ten series at Ohio State and Michigan State—before returning to Siebert Field on April 4.

For the record, the first strike at U.S. Bank Stadium was thrown by Lucas Gilbreath. The first Minnesota hit was by Alex Boxwell, the first triple by Toby Hanson, and the first Gopher home run by Matt Stemper. The Gophers went on to sweep the three-game series with the Redhawks.